Information was gathered from previous years of The Shelby Sentinel, The Shelby News and The Sentinel-News. You can reach the writer at sharonw@sentinelnews.com.

The judges had a tough decision when they had to decide which of these five young ladies should capture the title of Miss Shelby County Fair 1973. They were (from left) Rhonda Purnell, Karoline Bentley, Priscilla Thompson, Beverly Smith and Yolanda LeCompte. Their choice was Beverly Smith. The photos were taken from the Aug. 6, 1973 issue of The Sentinel-News.

Bobby Reardon in 1958

Charles Reardon in 1958

Tommy Reardon in 1958

W.H. Reardon in 1958

Shelbyville High School Class of 1964 reunion

Beverly Smith in 1973

Duncan LeCompte in 1973

Jack Fugate in 1973

Penny Harp in 1973

James Higgins in 1988

William Taylor in 1988

Else Matthews in 1988

Charlie Kramer in 1988

The eight employees of Citizens Bank in 1966 gathered for a Christmas party at the home of Stewart F. McBrayer. They were (front row from left) Pauline Adams, Lou R. Lapsley, Edith Hardesty, Eleanor Milligan and Margaret Maupin; (back row) George T. Perkins, Charles A. Randolph and McBrayer. The photo was taken from the Aug. 10, 1988 issue of The Sentinel-News.

Middelton Phillips in 1988

Pauline Adams in 1988

Roberta Eddington in 1988

Stewart McBrayer in 1988

The Shelbyville High Alumni Association had its second annual school-wide reunion at Floral Hall with close to 500 people attending. The sixties graduates whooop it up during a pep rally by the decades. The photos were taken from the Aug. 10, 1988 issue of The Sentinel-News.

Martha Flood (left) and Steve Radcliffe visit during the SHS reunion.

SHS alumni second reunion in 1988

Bobbie Smith in 1998

Janet Burgin in 1998

Curty Dees in 1998

Matthew Ragland in 1998

Kaetlynne Mackenzie Henson in 2003

Nicklaus Peyton Hammons in 2003

Vance Simmons in 2003

If anyone has an old photo that they would like to run with this column bring it and the information into The Sentinel-News office or e-mail it to the writer at sharonw@sentinelnews.com. We are also looking for mystery photos. If you have a picture you can't identify, send it in and we'll ask our readers for help. Check for photos on the “Looking back from the past” slide show on www.sentinelnews.com

10 years ago, 2003

Vance Simmons took second place and earned a silver medal for the 60-and-over long jump event in the Bluegrass State Games....A Shelbyville police officer, Rick Ellis, was taken to Jewish Hospital Shelbyville after he was hit in the head by a rock thrown by someone in a crowd that had gathered as officers tried to arrest two men on drug charges. He was treated and released....Heavy rains during the weekend caused flooding at the Leggett and Platt factory in Simpsonville, sending about 200 gallons of lubricant and hydraulic fluid into a ditch beside the plant....I’m one: Nichlaus Peyton Hammons, Maetlynne Mackenzie Henson....Deaths: Brenda Brooks, 60; Margaret Slucher Delling, 87; Martine Bridget “Marty” Dorth, 80; Carolyn Virginia Franklin, 67; Gail S. Huecker, 75; Margaret White Quire, 96; James William Yocum, 85; Rachel Marie and Amber Nicole LeCompte, infant twins of Michael and Karen LeCompte; Lillian Beatrice Scherff, 77; Cornelius Bernard Marshall, 52.

15 years ago, 1998

Bobbie Smith resigned as Shelby Development Corporation director to begin working on a project for her client, the Kentucky League of Cities....By the end of the year a new Fifth Third Bank branch was scheduled to be next to Wendy's restaurant on KY 55 South....More than 50 people gathered at the Mount Eden Post Office to celebrate the swearing-in of new postmaster, Janet Burgin....Parishioners of the Catholic Church of the Annunciation broke ground on the site for an 8,000-square-foot addition, located directly behind the existing church, to house a new sanctuary. It will be part of the church’s 15-year master plan to build a campus on the block between Main and Washington and 2nd and 1st streets....Matthew F. Ragland was recognized as the co-recipient of the award for Outstanding Mathematics Non-Teaching Student in the Department of Mathematical Sciences during the academic awards week at Morehead State University....Shelby County Fiscal Court members changed their minds and voted to allow the city of Shelbyville to annex land on Mount Eden Road, clearing the way for a Cracker Barrel Restaurant to locate there....Jonathan Ford, a graduate of Shelby County High School, was awarded the prestigious Henry Mason Lutes Memorial Scholarship from the University of Kentucky College of Engineering, totaling $3,000....Curty Dees turned working one day as a substitute for one day at Shelbyville High School into 38 years as a cook. She also prepared meals for West Middle School after the city and county school systems merged in 1975....Births: Tiffany Paige Asay, Danielle Marie Booth, Jeanell Charleen Kresin, Connor Tristan Merryman, Quinten Tyrique Turner, Amanda Cholonae Brown, Nathan Lee Barnett....Deaths: Carlis W. Hortenbury, 78; Owen Henry Sageser, 68; Albert Elliott, 70; Albert L. Elliott, 70; Lucille E. Hall, 77; Dennis Perry, 50; Mary E. Seay, 70; John R. Lee Sr., 65; James V. Marcum, 72; Mabel Payton Cooper Moore, 86.

25 years ago, 1988

Faint rumblings against legalizing liquor-by-the-drink were stirring as the Shelbyville City Council set in motion an ordinance that would allow such sales in two Shelbyville restaurants – Sarah’s, at 535 Main St., and Science Hill Inn, 525 Washington St. A restaurant must seat more than 100 people or hotels must have more than 50 rooms and be within the city limits to serve by the drink....After more than 36 years of employment at Shelby Rural Electric Corporation, Apparatus Specialist William Taylor retired....An effort to have Finchville's old country store declared a fire hazard gained momentum as the head of the volunteer fire department declared the building unsafe....Shelby Countians won 62 medals during the Bluegrass State Games in Lexington – 23 gold, 27 silver and 12 bronze – to tie for 10th among the counties represented. Krista Williams, 7-year-old member of the Louisville Gym Club, won four gold medals and one silver to lead Shelby County athletes...."I won something once a long time ago – I think it was a radio. But this is the best I've ever done." James Higgins, 71, described his reaction to winning $1,500 in Kountry Market's bankroll contest....As fall and winter approach, people in Shelby County might well stock up on antifreeze, find that old pair of gloves and get a new bathing suit. The area's newest winter activity will have a summer feel as the city pool, encased by a huge bubble, will stay open all year....A Shelby County Chamber of Commerce official advocated a tax on motel guests to fund a tourism effort, a plan that drew mixed reactions from local motel owners. Else Matthews, owner of The Image Tree on Washington Street, estimated such a tax on the area's 106 motel rooms could raise $20,000 per year to promote Shelby County....A train carrying 800 bales of hay from Oregon arrived in Shelby County. The donated hay was split among 15 farmers who were chosen in a lottery to cart home 50 bales each. Predictions were made that the summer drought could cause serious hay shortages this winter....The boys and girls softball teams at the Whitney M. Young Jr. Job Corps Center in Simpsonville represented their respective divisions in the National Job Corps Tournament in Atlanta....Chris Aldridge joined The Sentinel-News staff as sports editor, replacing Jeff D’Alessio, who took a job with the Elizabethtown News Enterprise....Citizens Union Bank turned 100 years old in January, and bank officers decided to let the party run all year....Charles Kramer was the new local enrollment director for Lindsey Wilson College....Births: Megan Elizabeth Greenwell, John Goodwin Taylor Collins, Nicholas Brad Cottrell, Morgan Brittany Richardson...Deaths: Dr. Robert L. Houston, 65; John Rucker Spraghens, 89; Sarah Bruner Rodgers, 88; Ethel Wishon Holbrook, 84; Hollie Buntain, 87; Robert L. Shaw, 41; Anna Vaughan Logan, 90; Opal Ried Doyle, 76; Jane Arvin Lea, 71; Margaret Jean Summers, 59; Elija Massie, 79; Mrs. Arshaloos Soultanian, 85; John Richard Spraggen, 89; Katherine Puckett Jones, 70.

40 years ago, 1973

Jack Fugate,the former Russell High principal, came to the land of the Shelby County Rockets to serve as a replacement principal for retiring Bruce Sweeney....Mrs. Charles Crabtree won a silver tray signifying her as champion of the 5-gaited class during the final horse show of the Shelby County Fair....Beverly Smith was crowned Miss Shelby County Fair. Kim McCarthy was chosen as Miss Congeniality....First-place winners in the Shelby County Fair baby contest were Mary Allison Clay, girls under 1 year; Leslie Gail Hagen, girls under 2; Douglas Bailey, boys under 1; Brian Tindle, boys under 2. Grand champion ribbons were presented to Mary Allison Clay for the baby under 1 and to Leslie Gail Hagen for the baby under 2....Penny Harp made history when she was named the Little Miss of Shelby County during the first year of the contest. She was the great-granddaughter of Mrs. Jesse Harp Sr., who made her 91st visit to the fair....Robert Shipman, president of the Shelby County A&M Association, was the winner for his Junior Champion Jersey....Duncan LeCompte was selected to serve as a member of the board of the Kentucky District No. 3 of the Cincinnati Corp. Milk Sales Inc....Birth: Michelle Dawn Cottrell....Serving our country: Navy Machinist Mate 2nd Cl. Harry L. Robinson reported for duty aboard the aircraft carrier USS Independence in the Mediterranean....Deaths: Joe Jesse, 80; Pauline Webber Crockett, 79; Georgia Perkins Zilhart, 83; Hugh “Granny” Johnson, 78; Fred C. Hays, 73; Ruth Moore Johnston, 59; Sarah Debourg Schuler, 65; Bedford Lewis Wakefield, 58; Maude Brewer, 57; Virginia Stigers Vannatta, 69; Clayton W. Yeary, 58.

55 years ago, 1958

Dr. and Mrs. Morton Hanna, formerly of Shelbyville, received a cable from their son, Edward Hanna, to let them know he was safe in the Middle East. An agricultural missionary, he and his family had been sent to Jilbreath, Lebanon, by the Presbyterian Church to teach better farming to the natives....James Elmo Hankins, native of Shelby County, received notification that he was appointed permanent postmaster at Frankfort....Shannon Funeral Home added a new Cadillac Eureka funeral car to its service....Serving our country: Four Reardon brothers, all graduates of the Bagdad High School, either completed their service or are now serving in the Armed Forces. W.H. Reardon Jr. spent his term in Germany, and Tommy was in Alaska. Charles was at Ft. Eustis, Va., and planned to go to Korea, and Bobby served in the U.S. Navy on the U.S.S. Cony....The parents of Sp/3c Guthrie Goodman, who had been stationed in Korea the past 15 months, were notified that he would return home soon....Mr. and Mrs. H.B. Willard received word that their son, Spec. 4 Curtis L. Willard, arrived safely in Turkey....Judge James W. Cammack died in New York City. He was born in Owenton and for a number of years taught and coached football at Shelbyville High School....Other deaths: Burt Floyd Brown, 69; Herman Craig, 70; Doris Bruner, 16-year-old daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Derwood Bruner; Stockton Lancaster; Thomas Jefferson Tackett, 80; Elizabeth Reid; Herbert Nation, 52.

60 years ago, 1953

Jane Tucker was selected 4-H baking champion of the Shelby County Fair....Frank Van Slyke was elected to succeed G.T. Settles as chair of the Dan Boone District of the Boy Scouts of America....The Kentucky Water Co. turned down as "uneconomical" a request by the Shelbyville City Council that the company install fire hydrants at the corner of 1st and Bradshaw and on south Brown Avenue....Jerry Butler and Lucille Scearce, both from Simpsonville, were elected king and queen of the Shelby County Fair....A plane piloted by Maurice Sheetz of Shelbyville and owned by the Cummins Crop Spraying Service of Louisville crash-landed on the farm of Mrs. Susan Offutt Neal, Sheetz suffered slight shock and facial cuts....Serving our country: Rear Adm. Logan McKee, Shelby County's highest-ranking naval officer and a veteran of 32 years of service, assumed command of the Norfolk, Va., shipyards....Cpl. Charles J. Douthitt, who had been declared missing in action since November 1950, was released by the Chinese Communists following the Panmunjom armistice in Korea....Retired coal dealer, farmer and Shelbyville's "tennis father" Thomas Hendricks Byrd died at the age of 68 at King's Daughters Hospital.

70 years ago, 1943

Within one hour, police officers solved a robbery and recovered the loot after Miss Betty Oats' locked car was broken into at the Shelbyville Golf Course. Several days later, Chief of Police Jones and Patrolman Ware returned to the home of the 16-year-old and discovered golf clubs, fishing tackle and many other articles that had been stolen from various individuals around town for the past year....Serving our country: Lt. Lewis Frederick Jr., U.S. Air Corps, stationed in North Africa, was made commanding officer of his group....Lt. John S. Kirk, U.S. Army Air Corps, was promoted to the rank of captain....Merchant Marine Tom Bowler arrived safely somewhere overseas....Frank Bodkin, machinist mate second class, was reported missing in action. He was on the U.S.S. Helen, which was sunk by the Japanese....Morry Lee McMakin was promoted to major....Mrs. W.S. Skinner was Shelby County's first member of the Women's Land Army. She joined the WLA through Jeanne Ireland, home demonstration agent....James Taylor Whitaker was commissioned a second lieutenant in the United States Army upon successful completion of the Officer Candidate Course at the Infantry School at Fort Benning, Ga.....Lt. Charles R. Thomas Jr. was also commissioned a second lieutenant and received his wings in the U.S. Army Air Corps at Craig Field in Selma, Ala.....After a 6 weeks of inspection tour of Army ground forces on both fronts in Europe, Maj. Gen. Alvan C. Gillem Jr., commanding general of the Armored Command, arrived home....Three Floyd brothers of Finchville were in the U.S. Army. Cpl. Raymond E. Floyd was in Co.K.-318 Inf. A.P.O. 80th at Camp Forest, Tenn.; Pvt. Edward Floyd in Co. F. 334th Inf., A.P.O. 84th Camp Howze, Texas; and Pvt. James Floyd in the 38th Cav. Rec. Troops, A.P.O. 38th Camp, Livingston, La.....Frederica V. Miller completed her basic training and received the appointment of seaman second class....Lt. Margaret Hornback, U.S. Army nurse, served with the mobile frontline hospital. She was assistant in charge of the operating room....Deaths: Mrs. W.C. Magruder; Frederick Clarence Goodwin, 79; Samuel M. Ross; Bernice Harper Flack, 52.

Gov. Flem D. Sampson appointed attorney Amos Williams to fill the vacancy in office of commonwealth's attorney in the 12th judicial district, which was created by the sudden death of Charles H. Sanford....The Locust Grove baseball team defeated Finchville, 4-2....Death: Daniel McElligott, 63, formerly of this area.

Leo W. Hill resigned his position with the Kentucky Utilities Company and went to Camp Girardeau, Mo., as district manager of the plant in that city....Deaths: Marcellus Scruggs; Joseph M. Thompson, 78.